this is what happens when I get homesick

[deird1]

Taking a short break from my very fascinating life to educate you all about a great Aussie food: the Hamburger With The Lot.


First up (and just aimed at Americans) - it's not a "sandwich". This is a language issue I've always found weird – Americans seem to classify every single instance of sliced food between bread as a sandwich, and hence end up calling all sorts of things sandwiches even when they're clearly subs or hamburgers.

A short guide

This is a sandwich:

(note the sliced bread)


This is a roll:

(bread roll, cold fillings)


This is a sub:

(really long roll, such as one would find at Subway)


This is a hamburger:

(hot meat patty - probably beef, but could be chicken, in a roll)


So. On to specifics.

To have a proper Aussie hamburger, one should go to a fish and chip shop, where they will have a fine selection of fillings available to you. So, you could look at the filling options and ask for a hamburger "with cheese and tomato", or "with bacon", or simply decide that everything on the menu looks incredibly appetising, so you'll get one "with the lot".

Generally, a hamburger with the lot will include:
- the bread roll
- the meat patty
- lettuce
- tomato
- onion
- cheese
- bacon*
- a fried egg
- beetroot
- tomato sauce

It may also come with pineapple.

The egg is essential. So is the beetroot (although I am a philistine, and tend to decline that bit). They are what makes it a truly Aussie burger. They also make it delicious.

A demonstration:


It should barely fit between your jaws. Otherwise it's just not trying hard enough.

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* Please note: there is a significant difference between Aussie bacon and American bacon.

Comments

[lyr]

Beetroot! That is one of the very last things that would cross my mind to put on a burger, and it fascinates me that you Aussies do that as a regular thing.

We have the egg here sometimes, though it's not standard. We also have definite regional variations. Here in Texas, hamburgers come standard with onion, cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, pickles, meat, bread, and mustard. Often, though, they also come with jalepeno peppers and bacon.

[deird1]

Beetroot is standard enough here that Maccas got in on the act - with the very popular "McOz" burger.

[megpie71]

So too have Hungry Jacks (our variant of "Burger King") - they do an Aussie burger which is basically a whopper with beetroot and maybe egg. Definitely the beetroot, but the egg is a recent addition, as a way of using up the leftovers from their breakfast menu, I think.